Frequency of Student Absences

Exhibit 9.10 contains students’ reports about their absences from school. On average, many students (68%) reported that they were “never or almost never” absent. However, 17 percent reported monthly absences, 5 percent bi-weekly absences, and 10 percent weekly absences. Because coming to school is the foundation for having an opportunity to learn, it is not surprising that increases in frequency of being absent is highly related to decreases in average reading achievement, especially for the students absent as often as once every two weeks or more. Average reading achievement was 521 for students “never or almost never” absent, 509 for absent “once a month,” 476 for absent “once every two weeks,” and 459 for absent “once a week or more”—a 62-point difference between full attendance and regularly being absent.